Color Out of Space (2019): A synaesthetic horror movie unlike any other you’ve seen, Color Out of Space scores one for team “style over substance”. Taking the aliens via meteorite route and aiming to put you off Alpacas forever, this lovecraftian tale is a surprise from director Richard Stanley and a perfect genre piece. Unfortunately, it’s light as a story, with sub-average dialogue and proves, once again, there is such a thing as too much Nick Cage. On a big(ger) screen, however, it absolves its sins by being an experience, at times fascinating, at times skin-crawling, which is what we go to the movies for, isn’t it? 8/10
Harpoon (2019): Close friends hold the darkest secrets, or at least that’s what Harpoon is trying to claim. Whether it’s true or not doesn’t even matter, because this tense, twisty betrayal-on-a-boat saga is a really fun ride, set to an excellent soundtrack. It doesn’t break new ground, but it also doesn’t need to, because it knows exactly what it is. Ultimately, what makes it work, is that, for a change, we get less of the survival bravado such movies usually propose, and more of some characters just being themselves and hoping, as one does in the 20th century, that someone will solve the problem. 7/10
Villains (2019): In what proves to be a week of enjoyable B movies, Dan Berk and Robert Olsen’s Villains almost literally turns back the cinematic clock for a story of capers turned victims. Maika Monroe and Bill Skarsgard star opposite of Jeffrey Donovan and Kyra Sedgwick and their chemistry ensures the flick works even in its slower moments. Beyond these, Villains is going to surprise you and amuse you, while keeping you on the edge of your seat. 7/10
Rabid (2019): This remake of David Cronenberg’s 1977 cult classic doesn’t really know what it wants to be. Rabid works best as a body horror testament, but you would still have to look past the cliches, the clumsy dialogue and the uninspired editing. It doesn’t help either that we’ve seen how good meta-commentary on consumption and self-image can be in Raw (2016), and this title from the Soska sisters is off the mark. I’m a sucker for gore, which is why I was satisfied with the visuals of the movie, but it’s hard to really recommend it. 5/10
Patton Oswalt: I Love Everything (2020): I always held Patton Oswalt in pretty high regard, as a funny, edgy actor, thanks in particular to his character roles in various TV series. His latest stand-up, however, is awkwardly unfunny. It starts off quite well, with some good jabs at turning 50 and finding romance, but loses its footing midway through, only to end in a derivative existential commentary on the experience of going to Denny’s – something I can barely relate to as a European. I can’t pinpoint what the issue is, because Patton brings a good amount of energy to the stage, but it all just doesn’t…click. 6/10
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